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CDOT, Lyft and Marijuana Industry Group partner to stop Coloradans from driving high

320 Movement giving discounted rides to smokers

Posted: 1:59 PM, Nov 05, 2017

Updated:2017-11-06 01:09:21Z

By:
Amanda del Castillo

DENVER – From November through April 2018, Colorado pot smokers will be offered discounted Lyft rides through a collaborative campaign called 320 Movement.

This is a joint effort by the Colorado Department of Transportation, Lyft and the Marijuana Industry group.

The campaign originally launched in March 2017, ahead of Denver’s 420 Celebration at Civic Center Park. Back then, it was an effort by CDOT and Lyft alone. On April 20, more popularly known as “420,” 2,800 Lyft discount codes were retrieved by riders, with nearly 1,200 being redeemed.

The goal is to encourage marijuana smokers to plan for a safe ride.

"Despite the fact that marijuana impairs judgment, coordination, decision-making and reaction time, an alarming number of users -- 55 percent -- still believe that it is safe to drive under the influence of marijuana," Sam Cole said.

Cole is the Traffic Safety Communications Manager at CDOT. He added, "We have partnered with Lyft and MIG in an effort to combat this belief while also providing marijuana users with a safe ride, so they don't even have to consider driving high."

"Marijuana Industry Group is proud to continue this important partnership with CDOT and Lyft and to help extend the 320 Movement ride share program, the first of its kind," MIG Executive Director Kristi Kelly said.

She added, "Our ask is simple - if you choose to legally consume cannabis, plan ahead and don't get behind the wheel.”

Kelly said the reduction of impaired driving is a shared priority, and the group is going to stand united in that commitment.

For this six-month venture, CDOT will deliver toolkits to 125 Colorado pot shops and encourage workers to promote marijuana safety information and the discounted Lyft ride codes to their customers.

Inside the toolkit: window clings, postcards for the dispensaries to display and hand out, plus social media help like suggested captions and hashtags for use across all platforms.

Kelly regarded the campaign as the first of its kind in the world -- specifically one involving the state government, a commercial company and Colorado's cannabis industry.